Always Have Always Will
by PSiwrotethis
Summary: When Dexter asks Debra to help him do something he cannot do himself, he finds that she is willing to help with that...and so much more.


"…And they all lived happily ever after." She closed the book and looked down at her nephew who was fast asleep in his bed. After kissing his forehead, she lightly brushed the wispy blonde hair out of his face._ He's really starting to look so much like Rita._ Being ever so quiet, she got up and made her way towards the door. She had her hand on the light switch and was about to leave his room when she heard a rustling and then that soft, small voice.

"Aunt Deb?"

"Hey buddy. Time to go to sleep, okay?"

"I just wanted to say that I love you!"

A smile crossed her face, yet a lump formed in her throat and her stomach sank. "Love you too, Harrison. G'nite, bud."

_Shit, he's so little. So innocent. I fuckin' envy him. _

Debra walked back into the living room to a patiently waiting Dexter, but not before stopping to grab herself another beer first.

"Fuck, Dex. Harrison…"

"What, Deb? Is everything okay?"

"No. I mean yes..but…no." She couldn't look at him.

"I just…tonight I saw how much he looks like Rita…"

"Oh," he nodded. He had thought this before, but never said anything about it. Dexter looked down and took a deep breath in, calculating what he would say next.

"Does he ever ask about her? I mean he's a smart kid. He's seen kids with Moms and Dads before. Has he ever asked where his Mom is?" Debra took a swig of her beer, not sure which answer would be better. Or worse.

He sighed and looked back up at the one person who had always been there for him. "No. But I know I've gotta talk to him soon. I just…I just don't know what I would say." He paused long enough for even him to get uncomfortable with the silence that followed his response. "He called me a liar last week, though."

_Fuck, the kid really is as smart as he seems. _"Whattya mean?" she replied, a genuine twinge of concern in her voice.

"He found that stuffed dog you gave him for his birthday last year. The one I told you I had to throw out because…"

"Because it had Briggs' blood on it…" she finished.

"Yeah. He must have seen me put it in the trash and went back and got it later."

Deb walked towards the couch and found a spot next to him to settle down in, resting her beer on the table. She turned slightly so she was facing his side, and he, in turn, maneuvered to mimic her position.

"When I asked him why he lied about the television remote, he told me that I lied to him also…" She was surprised at how genuinely upset he appeared. She knew him inside and out. And once she found about what he _did, _and what he _is, _she learned more than she ever even thought possible about him. She had known the faces he made but this was different. His head was low and his shoulders slouched forward. Her eyes focused on his mouth, and she had this strange feeling of déjà vu – like she had been there before on that very couch, discussing something extremely personal, thinking not about their conversation, but about how much she wanted his lips…his body…on her own.

"Dex…" She inched closer to him and raised her right hand and placed it on his left shoulder, massaging it ever so gracefully. They hadn't physically touched one another since before she attempted to kill him as well as herself. _What the fuck am I doing? And why? He doesn't feel this way. Shit, I can't believe I still do._

He didn't pull back when she touched him. Didn't brush her hand off or ask what the fuck she was doing. He simply placed his right hand over hers, causing it to still its' movement. They stayed like that for a moment – quietly staring into each other's eyes, yet at the same time, speaking volumes.

"Will you tell him with me? When the time is right?" His voice was soft and small – unlike she had ever heard before. _He needs me. Maybe as much as I need him. Maybe more._

"Of course I will, Dexter. I love him."

"He loves you too. I…" He interlaced his fingers in hers and brought their hands down so they rest on his thigh. Breaking his gaze from her, he completed his thought. "I love you..too…"

Her heart was racing so fast and loud she thought that she was convinced it would deafen them both. She bit her bottom lip and placed her other hand on his thigh next to the one still held by Dexter's.

When she woke up the next morning, she questioned whether or not the events she was remembering actually happened, or if it was just another fantasy. She got her answer rather quickly when she surveyed the room and realized she was in Dexter's bed…naked. Her clothes were strewn about the floor and there were two empty condom wrappers on the bedside table next to her. She turned and saw him, still sleeping peacefully. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. _Oh God, this really did happen. _She smiled as the events of the evening started flooding her memory...him initiating the kiss that sent them both over the edge; her being the one to start undressing them both; him persuading her with kisses all over, to follow him to the bedroom. A slight moan escaped her lips as she remembered more – how she fucking loved how he groaned her name when he entered her; how she been able to flip them both so she was on top of him; and how she had never felt more alive…

They eventually did tell Harrison about Rita…together. Only what he could understand, of course – that a bad man had hurt her so bad that she had died, but that that man would no longer be able to hurt anyone else ever again. He had cried, and had lots of questions – and they had both answered as best they could.

That night after their conversation, he turned to her as they lay in bed.

"Deb?"

"Yeah, Dex?"

"You were right about what you said that night I killed Briggs. I have always needed you. I still do."

She kissed him gently and pulled him up on top of her.

"I need you too. Always have. Always will."


End file.
